Allergen law could cost £200m a year

Nuts, peanuts and sesame seeds are part of the 14 allergens included in the law

The cost of implementation of the new EU allergen regulations coming into force on 13 December could reach £200m a year for food businesses, according to the British Hospitality Association (BHA).

The BHA calculated the cost based on the fact that 8bn meals are served out of home every year: with up to 2 per cent of the UK population suffering from food allergies, requests for information could reach 160m.

Taking five minutes to deal with each request at an all-in cost of £15 an hour takes the bill up to £200m.

The association even warned that this cost could be much higher as NHS figures state that though 2 per cent of the population have been diagnosed, up to 20 per cent think that they have undiagnosed food allergies.

According to the BHA, the challenge will be even greater for restaurants that frequently change recipe or menu items, pop-up or event caterers, venues with high staff turnover and smaller establishments, which may struggle to find the resources to track, identify and record all allergens used throughout the menu.

Guidance​

Jackie Grech, policy director for the BHA, said: “These new regulations are coming into force this autumn and will make it easier for people to get information about which allergies are present in the food they are eating out of home.

“Food businesses will be expected to learn how best to communicate these new regulations to their customers, and the BHA is today launching a toolkit, forum and workshops to help food businesses of all sizes.”

The BHA’s guidance toolkit was designed by its food advisory team,as well as members and law firm Bond Dickinson, and is available for free to all members from today 26 August.

Additionally, the organisation has organised a series of regional roadshows from September to December 2014 to help businesses get up to speed on the legislation and what’s required of staff.

The new law, which covers 14 of the most common allergens found in food, involves investment in relevant staff straining​​, as customers and enforcement officers are entitled to ask any member of staff for information about ingredients.

If a member of staff is unsure of the answer to a customer's question, they must ask somebody who knows, but everyone should know where the information is stored, as all information must be verifiable.